Valentine's Day Ritual: 3 Love Rituals to Try
A Valentine's Day ritual is a small, sweet act to send love on the day the whole world is thinking about it. Here are three: one to call in love if you're single, one to grow the love you have, and one to fill your own heart first. In 2027, February 14 falls on a Sunday, under a growing moon.
Key takeaways
Valentine's Day is February 14. In 2027, it is a Sunday.
If you're single: write the love you want as feelings, not as a name, and light a pink candle.
If you're together: write three things you love about each other and read them out loud.
For everyone: write yourself a love letter. The love you give yourself sets the signal.
Why Valentine's Day is a day for love rituals
You are always sending a signal, and the universe sends back what you send. On Valentine's Day, the whole world is sending love at once. Hearts in every window, roses in every hand. It is the easiest day of the year to feel loved, and feeling it is the signal.
The tie between this day and love is old. In the 1300s, the poet Geoffrey Chaucer wrote of birds that gather on Saint Valentine's day to choose their mates. It is the first known poem to link the day to love, and the idea took flight.
Your Valentine's Day ritual, step by step
- 🕯️
Light a candle
Pink for tender love, red for passion, white if you're not sure.
- ✍️
Write how love feels
Write the love you want, or the love you have, as feelings. No names.
- 🗣️
Say it out loud
Read your words out loud three times, slowly, like you mean it.
- 🌹
Add a rose petal
Fold your paper toward you with a rose petal inside.
- 💗
Feel it now
Close your eyes and feel loved for one full minute. Then say thank you.
A Valentine's ritual if you're single
Light a pink or red candle. Pink is for tender love, red for passion. (Here is more on what each candle color means.)
On a sheet of paper, write how you want love to feel. "I feel safe. I feel chosen. I laugh every day." Write feelings, not a name. You are calling in a love that fits you, not a person.
Read it out loud three times. Then fold the paper toward you, put a rose petal inside, and keep it by your bed until the next new moon. For more ways to call love in, see how to manifest love.
A Valentine's ritual for two
Sit across from each other with one candle between you. Each of you writes three things you love about the other, and one wish for your year together.
Take turns reading them out loud. Then swap papers and keep each other's words somewhere you will see them. A love note read on a hard day is a small magic.
If you want to go further, try writing a love letter to the universe together.
A self-love ritual for Valentine's Day
Love starts at home. Run a warm bath or make your favorite drink. Light a candle.
Write yourself a love letter. Start with "Dear me," and tell yourself everything you wish someone would say. Read it out loud in front of a mirror.
Then say a few affirmations to love yourself. The love you give yourself is the signal you send everywhere else.
How the world does Valentine's Day
In Japan, women give chocolate on February 14: honmei choco for the one they love, tomo choco for friends, and more and more, jibun choco for themselves. A month later, on White Day, March 14, the gift comes back.
In Brazil, lovers celebrate on June 12, the eve of Saint Anthony's day, the saint people ask for love. And eight days after Valentine's comes the love portal of February 22, another day for love and partnership.
Tips for your Valentine's ritual
No names
Ask for a love that feels right, not for a certain person. It leaves room for the best.
Do it at night
Evening is the coziest time. Put your phone away for ten minutes.
Make it a date with you
Single on Valentine's? Take yourself out. Treat yourself the way you want to be treated.
Keep the paper
Keep your love wish until the next new moon, then read it again and say thank you.
Valentine's Day ritual: frequently asked questions
A small, sweet act on February 14 to call in love, grow the love you have, or love yourself more. Most use a candle, words and a flower.
